Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction
A Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction is a sudden and typically transient reaction that may occur within 24 hours of being administered antibiotics for an infection by a spirochete, including syphilis, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever. Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, shivers, feeling sick, headache, fast heart beat, low blood pressure, breathing fast, flushing of skin, muscle aches, and worsening of skin lesions. It may sometimes be mistaken as an allergy to the antibiotic.
| Herxheimer reaction | |
|---|---|
| Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction in a patient with syphilis and HIV infection | |
| Pronunciation |
|
| Specialty | Infectious disease |
Jarisch–Herxheimer reactions can be life-threatening because they can cause a significant drop in blood pressure and cause acute end-organ injury, eventually leading to multi-organ failure.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.